Steering wheel



Sept- 22, 193.1. E. KARRER 1,823,980

' STEERING WHEEL Filed Dec. 22. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l if qfzfg.

Sept 22, 1931. KARRE 1,823,980

' STEERING WHEEL Filed Dec. 22, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mil? Emis/9 @EEE Patented Sept. 22, 1931` ENUCI-I RARE/ER, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNQR TO THE B. F. GOODRICH COMPANYQOE L;.

NEW YORK, n. Y., n CORPORATION. osNEW Yom;

,y 1,823ss0 iD Aria:Nrfforiilcin` STEERING Wisin-ni.

Application led December 22, 1928. Serial No. 327,946;

Y This invention relates to steering wheels such as commonly are used with motor-driven vehicles, and to methods of making the same, and especially'it relates to steering wheels of the character mentioned whicli'are composed of a molded composition, such as hard rubber or the like and provided with internal re infoi'cement. it is the chief object of the invention to provide an improved reinforcement for steering wheels which reinforcement may be made without wast-e of material, and to 'provide a simple method of making said reinforcenient; A more specificobj-ect is to provide a laminated steering wheel reinforcement having integral rim, spoke, andhub portions.

Of the accompanying drawings:

F ig. 1 is a plan view of a steering wheel embodying my invention in its preferred form, a part being in section.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view .of the reinforcing structure, and the form on which it is built,

showing the preferred method of making the reinforcing structure. Y

Fig. 4 is a view showing a modified reinforcing structure, the form on which it is,

built, and the method of making said structure.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is the rim, 11, 11 the spokes, and 12 the hub portion of a steering wheel comprising a unitary structure of molded composition such as hard rubber or the like, and 13 is a unitary, laminated, reinforcing structure molded into the rim, spoke, and hub portions of the wheel. An additional reinforcement comprising a generally cylindrical structure 14 ofV cast metal is molded into the hub portion of the wheel and suitably secured to the laminated structure 13.

The laminated reinforcement 13 preferably comprises a single strip or ribbon of metal which is wound in a geometric figure comprising an annular rim portion 13a, radial spoke portions 13b, 13", and an annular hubv portion 13C, the respective portions being integral with each other as partsof a single bent stripA of material. Thearrangement is such that every part of the structure comprises at Y least two plies of material, while some parts the wheel.

have threeor'four plies, due to the particular method of manufacture, the strip material used beingof suchstrength that two plies are suflicient toimpart the necessary rigidity to y The respective plie's'are bonded together at; various parts of the-structure, preferably by spot welding, asindicated at i5, i5, Fig. i.l

The hub-reinforcement 14 is formed adjacentits upper end lwith a radial flange-16,*and is provided with a collar or nut 17 threaded onto its structure from' the opposite end, saidl nutbeino adapted' to clamp the hub-portion 13V of the reinforcementstructure 13 against v the flange 16V when the structure 13 is mounted-'upon the hub member 14;

The apparatus for making the reinforce-V ment-structurey 13 isV best'shown in Fig. 3

.wherein 18 isav flatk support or. tableV upon i which*` `is lmounted a Y plurality of= concentric, arcuate, spaced-apart guides or anges 19,19, a cylindrical axial 'guide '20, a lplurality of suitably-positioned upstanding pegs or studs lto 21, 2 1, and a pair of slotted studs-22, 22 suitt `ably positioned upon thetable 18 tolprovide anchorages for the respective endsv of the metal strip orribbon from which the lstructure 13 is made.

In the manufacture of the reinforcing structure 13, the leading end'23 of the meta- 1f strip or ribbon is mounted in,y the -slotiof a stud'22 whichis-positioned adjacent thev space vbetween twou guides 19 '-andbetweensai`d space and the axial guide 20. The strip is .i

then 'bentyprogressively around respective studs 21, and guides 19 and 20,'in the manner illustrated ini-Fig. 3, until thereinforcement structure is completely assembled as shown,

the strip beingcontinuou-s throughout all portions of the structureyand providing at least ,i two plies in all r'iarts thereof. The trailing end 24 of the niet-al strip may be ternporarily secured in a slotted stud 22 suitably positioned at the outer peripheryv of the assembled structure, .as "shownf If the reinforcement is made from a strip of material of long lengthit maynow be severed therefrom. Theplies of the reinforcement structure are then bonded together, preferably by spot welding as indicated at `l5, Y15, Fig.` l, either Vat one side ofthe plane of its rim, the structure 13 may be so shaped, either before or afterassembling with the Ahub member 14, byvheat-treating and then pressing to the shape desired. The reinforcement structure is then incorporated in the steering wheel structure during the molding thereof.

The inventionprovides a steering wheel With a sturdy, one-piece, laminated reinforcing structure which may be made without waste of raw material.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the apparatus utilized comprises a table or support 18, aV single arcuate flange or guide 192t Vmounted thereon, a plurality of suitably po- Sitioned upstanding pegs or studs 21a, 21 mounted thereon, a slotted stud 22a suitably positioned thereon to engage the leading end ofthe metal strip or ribbon, and a block 25 ad- -jaccnt the stud 22afor confining the trailing end of the metal strip. A cam 26 is eccentrically pivotedqat 277cm the table 18a, substantially at the axis of the guide 19, andis provided with a handle 28. for manual operation.

With the cam2r6'in theinoperative position indicated bythe dotted-line position of the handlev 28, the metal strip is wound upon the modified apparatus in a manner similar to the method employed in the-preferred embodiment of theinvention, the leading end 29 of theY strip being anchoredin the slot of thel stud 22a and the trailing end 30 of the strip being confined between the block 25 and the body of the assembledv reinforcing structure, herein designated 31, said structure being uniformly of two plies thickness. The arrangement of the guide19a and studs 21a is such that the structure 31 defines a sector of which 31a is the arcuate outer peripheral portion and-31h, 31b vthe respective radial portion-s. l

ferred embodiment, before it is molded into the wheel structure.

Other modifications are possible within the A scope of the appended claims.

K piece of material.

2. A steering wheel comprising a body structure of molded material, and an internal reinforcement therein comprising integral rim, spoke and hub portions, all of said portions being laminated.

3. A steering wheel comprising a body structure of molded material, and an internal reinforcement therein comprising a single strip of -metal which is so bent and folded upon itself as to provide integral, laminated rim, spoke and hub portions.

4. A steering wheel as defined in claim 3 in which the laminations of the reinforcing structure are of metal and are bonded together by metal.

'5. Ar steering wheel comprising a body structure of molded material, an internal reinforceinent therein comprising a laminated, integral rim, spoke, and hub structure, and a hub-reinforcement member secured in the hub portion of saidreinforcement structure.

In witness `whereof I Vhave hereunto set my'hand this 5th day of December, 1928.

" y ENOCI-I'KARRER.

VThe cam-handle 28 may then be turned to Y its full-line position of Fig. 4 to lcause the cam26 to bend the structure 31 in a reverse curve 31c at the juncture of the radial ,portions 31", said curve 31c being concentric with the arcuate portion 31a ofthe sectory- The plies of the sector 31 may be bonded together as by spot-welding. A plurality of the sectors 31 are assembled to form a wheel-reinforcing structure and incorporated in a molded steering wheel during the molding thereof. If desired the respective sectors may be welded to each other, and the assembled reinforcing structure may be'distorted to position its hub-portion to one side of the planeof its-rim-portion in the mannerof the pre- 

